The Cast

Sight Unseen Theatre Group proudly kicked off their 2007 season with Stephen Sondheim's 'killer' black comedy Assassins, which provides a captivating look at the lives, loves, and lunacy of nine infamous American assassins ' from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald to John Hinckley Jr. One of the most innovative musicals ever written, Sondheim's score ranges from folk to ragtime to big Broadway ballads.

A bold and provocative portrait of nine distorted American dreams, Sondheim fearlessly explores the passion and rage that inspired these bloody acts of treason in a black comedy with the power to move. Sight Unseen Theatre Group just received two LA Weekly Theater Award nominations for last year's spring production, Quarterlife at the Pico Playhouse for best ensemble and playwrighting. 

John Wilkes Booth and Leon Czolgosz have a chat

Director Cindy Jenkins said, 'Assassins has been burning in my blood since I first listened to it. It threw America in my face and demanded that I actually take a look. These stories invade my heart and body... The Assassins are searching: for love, for a voice, for equality, for Unity for their American Dream."

Jenkins continued, "When they can't find it, they carve out their own place in the world. We need to view our own lives through the lens of our personal dreams. We must all wake screaming and inspect how we went from a man who was willing to die for his country, to a certifiably insane teenager who shot Ronald Reagan to get a starlet's attention.' 

The Cast of "Assasins" by Stephen Sondheim

Choreographer Nancy Owen commented about the show, 'What is interesting about this show is that although it is technically a musical, the last thing that would be appropriate is a big 'bring down the house' dance number.  The choreography has to be so integrated into the show that the audience doesn't really know where the director has stopped and the choreographer has begun.'

Michael Lurino as John Wilkes Booth and Jason Decker as Leon Czolgosz

Andy Mitton, Music Director, is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and earned a degree in theatre from Middlebury College in Vermont, where he has also taught and is returning again in the fall to direct. He is a Co-Founder of the Sight Unseen Theatre Group and serves as Artistic Director.

Lance Kramer as John Hinkley Jr. and Juliana Johnson as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme

He is a songwriter and composer, a published playwright and screenwriter, and also has scored and directed numerous projects for Sight Unseen and elsewhere. He served as music director and pianist for the currently running Marriage of Heaven and Hell at the MET and Sight Unseen's production of his original play Lucid Sound. Andy was a recipient of the Subito Grant from the Los Angeles Composer's Forum.

ASSASSINS by Steven Sondheim and directed by Cindy Jenkins with musical direction by Andy Mitton opens Friday night April 20th and runs Friday and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 7:00pm until May 20th.

Performances are at The MetaTheatre located at 7801 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles 90046 (Corner of Melrose/Ogden St -- 2 blocks east of Fairfax)

Tickets are $20 and $15 for students and seniors.

For reservations and information please call: (877)9-UNSEEN (986-7336) or online at www.sightunseentheatre.com

Stephen Sondheim